Chapter 144
Daniel was running, his feet almost as light as a feather, as he treaded the path to an almost-death experience. In his arms was Dora, blood gushing through her head like a stream of water, down below.
At the side of her head was a silver dagger.
He got to a lake, in a forest quite far from Ruby Stone’s pack. The stars up ahead twinkled on the surface of the water, the surface turning to ripples as his feet sent small pebbles Into them.
Talia, the twins, Royce, Cardin and Barton arrived lastly, all panting, not able to keep up with Daniel’s pace. They all wore solemn looks as they slowly approached Daniel who was kneeling, dropping Dora onto the ground just close to the running lake.
However, Barton ran forward just as Daniel placed Dora at the side of the lake, roughly pulling out the dagger, another fresh stream of blood running from the other side of her head. Just as he expected, Barton fell to his knees beside him, and he dutifully rose, joining the others, watching as Barton held Dora, cradling her to his chest— his embrace.
The tears which had been welling up in his eyes finally fell. They fell rolled down like the lake of water, streaming down his cheeks and dropping onto her face.
Dora narrowed her eyes, her entire vision slowly fading, turning darker and darker as she weakly pushed her hand up to touch his face, slowly wiping his tears from rolling down his chin again.
“Why?” Barton whispered, closing his eyes and leaning into her touch, tears rolling down his cheeks still. “Why did you do it Dora? Why did you take the dagger for me?! Why p>
“Barton.” Her voice was a hushed whisper, heavy with emotions. She was dying— and she was not going to make it. Everyone knew that.
Talia placed her hands over her mouth, her eyes rimmed with tears. She had never really liked Dora, but seeing her lie there, about to take her last breath, her heart dropped to her stomach, leaving it unsettled in there with a painful feeling in her chest, forcing tears down her cheeks no matter how hard she tried not to cry.
“Why did you so it?” He asked again.
“Because… ” She chuckled painfully. “I don’t know Barton… I’m not really good at this p>
“Good at what?” His heart was clenching and unclenching in pain seeing her cough up blood on his shirt.
“Expressing my feelings.” She weakly uttered, and her eyes slowly drooped, threatening to close shut.
Barton wailed like a child.
“Dora. Don’t! Please don’t! Don’t you f**king die on me Dora.” He yelled.
“I don’t want to,” Dora whispered, tears finally running down her cheeks, her green eyes misty with unshed tears still as she forced her them open. “I don’t want to… I really don’t want to die Barton, but I didn’t want to see you hurt, to see you die… I… ” her voice was slurred, her eyes glassy from the tears. “I love you Barton p>
Barton chuckled, smiling genuinely but painfully, his heart swelling as he cradled her face in his hands.
She tried to smile but ended up crying again, her heart was slowly beating, the awaited time for it to stop getting close by the second.
“I guess I was too proud, and too stupid to realize just how much I did p>
“Dora,” it wasn’t him calling her to stay alive for him, he was begging, but there was nothing he could do.
“Can you… ” She began to say something, but slowly retreated her head into the crook of his arms, turning mute.
“What?” He softly asked her, pushing her hair back from her face, grimacing painfully at how pale she had turned.
“I just… ” for the second time, since she heard about her father’s death, he saw a vunerable side of her. “Before I… I just wanted you to kiss me,” she smiled weakly at the slightly shocked expression on his face. “It’s okay… you don’t have… mm p>
Her words were quickly cut off, as he leaned down to crash his lips against hers, tasting blood and dirt, but he didn’t care. He didn’t give a d**k about how she tasted now. It was the firy passion, the emotions he felt all at once just pressing his lips against hers.
His embrace tightened as he drew in her lips, sucking it softly, running his hand through her hair so lovingly, you wouldn’t know she had died in his arms.
When he didn’t feel her kiss him back, he leaned back slowly. She was lying back into his arms, head thrown back, lips slowly parted, her eyes closed with a stray tear running down her cheek.
Painfully, he got up, leaving her at the side of the lake, staring ahead, not saying a single thing.
No one dared say a single word as they looked on, basking In the silence of her death.
Talia turned and hugged Jephthah, burying her face in his chest and sobbing softly.
John’s head was slowly bowed, but he and Royce simultaneously looked up to catch Cardin sneaking murderous glares at Jephthah who raised his hand, stroking her hair.
Everyone still had their heads respectfully bowed after, but Daniel couldn’t take it anymore.
He turned away from everyone, fisting his hands in his hair, tears rolling down his cheeks in several streams, his heart hurting— hurting from everything that was happening, everyone he was loosing, the change of situations p>
He had lost Dora, many of his pack warriors, his pack members p>
Why was all these happening? When will it all end? It had only begun, but he was so ashamed, ashamed that he was already wishing it was all over.
He was f**king tired.
He held his chest and fell on his knees, feeling so hurt and exhausted.
In Foxtune, in one of the numerous rooms in the king’s domain, Naomi sat up on the bed like she was electrocuted, stunning the two Kitsunes who were by her side all these while.
The next second l, she bent down, holding her chest with her two hands, groaning in pain, attracting the attention of her father who heard her cries all the way from the throne room.